Rwandan institutions welcomed the APESA project, affirming its relevance and timely contribution to strengthening environmental and social accountability, and expressing their commitment to collaborate toward achieving its objectives.
This was during a high-level engagement mission conducted across Rwanda from July 15–25, 2025, by Transparency International Rwanda and a PTF Europe delegation composed of Donal O’Leary, Richard Holloway, and Yacine Belhaj-Bouabdallah, aimed at advancing the APESA initiative on environmental and social safeguards in public infrastructure development.
Key visit highlights :
1. World Bank
With the World Bank Country Manager Sahr Kpundeh, discussions focused on Rwanda’s experience with infrastructure projects, stakeholder engagement, and ESS implementation. The Bank emphasized that while the Government of Rwanda supports transformative approaches, challenges remain around stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and land acquisition. Regarding CSOs, the Bank noted that “funding remained a perennial issue,” limiting the capacity of many organizations to specialize. They also highlighted their training initiatives, including advanced e-procurement and post-professional project management courses at the University of Rwanda.
2. Office of Ombudsman
The Chief Ombudsperson Madeleine Nirere and her deputies highlighted their mandate to promote a Rwanda free of corruption. They emphasized the role of citizen awareness, noting that “the Rwanda Governance Scorecard 2024 found 89% of people knew her office.” The team highlighted that APESA would complement their work on environmental justice, particularly regarding land issues, expropriations, and misuse of funds, reinforcing accountability mechanisms at both local and national level.
3. Ministry of Justice
The discussions included potential webinars for ministry officials and CSOs, building on successful models by PTF Africa, to further integrate human rights and social accountability into project implementation. Note that APESA project will be directly implemented under the Ministry of Justice in the Justice and Accountability Programme (JAP).
The Permanent Secretary at MINIJUST, Théophile Mbonera welcomed the project and emphasized its alignment with existing government strategies. On land expropriation, he stressed that “even one case is not tolerable,” highlighting ongoing legal reviews and the need for capacity building among duty bearers.
4. Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA)
LODA officials outlined their work in social protection, poverty reduction, and capacity development across the districts. They welcomed APESA’s complementary role and stressed the importance of grievance redress committees at the district level. As noted by LODA, “community meetings held country-wide every Tuesday are important in identifying issues hindering development,” underscoring the project’s focus on enhancing citizen participation in infrastructure planning and monitoring.
5. The City of Kigali
The City of Kigali, represented by Vice Mayor Dusabimana Fulgence, highlighted the coordination of urban infrastructure projects, including roads, housing, water, and electricity. On expropriation issues, the Vice Mayor acknowledged that only a small fraction of cases reach court, emphasizing preemptive dispute resolution.
He welcomed APESA’s involvement, stating that “it is good to have another ‘eye’ that is not there to criticize but to give information,” reinforcing the project’s no-harm, supportive approach.
6. National Commission for Human Rights
Providence Umurungi, Chairperson of NCHR, emphasized the project’s relevance, particularly in expanding access to information for vulnerable groups. She observed that while resettlement processes can be well-intentioned, “the way it is done and the concurrent lack of information is not,” highlighting the importance of transparency. NCHR welcomed collaboration in awareness-raising and human rights-based approaches for infrastructure projects.
In conclusion, the high-level engagements of the TI Rwanda and PTF Europe team in Rwanda underscored a shared commitment to environmental and social safeguarding, citizen participation, and accountability. Across government, civil society, and development partners, stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of transparent, inclusive, and sustainable infrastructure development. As the APESA project moves forward, these collaborations are poised to strengthen Rwanda’s governance landscape, ensuring that infrastructure projects benefit all citizens equitably while safeguarding human rights and the environment.